Obituary for BETSY WALDROP BAIN STEPHENS Betsy Waldrop Bain Stephens was born on April 1, 1927 at Bessemer General Hospital and went to be with her Lord and Savior on July 15, 2018. Betsy’s husband, Von, and her parents, Herman and Lorene Bain, and in-laws, Mert and Pearl Stephens, have been waiting for her glorious arrival, along with her beloved “Big Mama,” Grandmother Lois Davenport. Betsy is survived by three children, Marc (Carol), Tim (Susan) and Martha (Barry McKinnon), along with nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and many other family members and friends.
She loved her family and desired to “bring them up in the fear and admonition of the Lord”. Many precious memories come to mind about Betsy’s life. She lived for Christ all her life.
Her dad was a preacher for the Church of God in various local churches, and she played the piano at the Bessemer Church when she was 18-19 years old. She started attending the Rock Creek Church, riding with pastor, Fred Vines, and his family because there were no young people at Bessemer or at Lacey’s Chapel where her dad was pastoring. She stayed the afternoon with Von’s cousin, Evelyn Vines (Rhodes) and her family, went to night service, and rode back to Bessemer with Bro.
Vines and his family. Betsy continued her faithfulness to our church after she and Von moved back to our community in 1954. Evelyn was a successful match-maker.
She sent a photo of Betsy to Von when he was stationed in Italy in WWII. After the war, on their very first date, Von asked her, “What are my chances with you? ” She said she knew what he was talking about but played dumb.
“What do you mean? ” she replied. And then she added, “You have as good a chance as anyone else”.
They were married on June 23, 1947. The following fall, the young couple separated as Betsy continued her education at Montevallo and Von at Auburn. She even told of an article written in the Montevallo newspaper on their living apart to complete their education.
What dedication. In addition to being remembered for her love for the church and for God, she was well-known for her musical talents. She graduated from the University of Montevallo with a Bachelors’ Degree in Music.
What a magnificent operatic quality voice she had. Much anticipated was her annual rendition of “Oh, Holy Night” at Christmas. She taught piano lessons at her house when she and Von moved to Rock Creek.
She continued to use her talents for God. Von’s mother, Pearl Stephens, had been the song leader for many years at the Rock Creek Church. When Von and Betsy moved to Rock Creek, Pastor Roscoe Snowden, wanted a church choir.
Betsy directed the choir while Pearl continued as song leader. When Pearl gave up her position, Betsy became song leader and choir director for 30 years. She also played the organ at times and sang in the ladies’ quartet.
Remembered for her teaching, her career began when she and Von lived in Auburn. Since Lee County didn’t have the money to hire a full-time music teacher, she was hired to sing required elementary songs on the radio for the various classrooms so that they could learn them. She later became the choir director at Pepperell School in Lee County, teaching 7th and 8th grade students.
She taught typing, English, and geography at Smith Station High School for a year. While there, she was also the girls’ basketball coach! She taught at Auburn Elementary School for a year.
In 1964, Betsy started teaching at Hueytown Elementary where she taught fourth grade for 25 years. She retired in 1989. She also went to UAB and took night classes, earning her Master’s in Counseling in 1972.
She had a great determination to finish her schooling and went straight through Montevallo in 3 ½ years, even while being a young married lady. This same dedication was shown in her teaching career. Many of her students remember her for having them to memorize different psalms and patriotic poems as part of her poetry unit in literature.
She had high standards for her pupils, as well as for herself. She was very patriotic and very knowledgeable about politics, keeping up with candidates in local, state, and national elections, even until the last few months of her life. Those who knew about her awareness in the political arena would ask her opinion on issues and on the best candidate to vote for.
She was very concerned about national decisions that were made and concerned about how those decisions might affect the declining morality of our nation. Although Betsy took many things very seriously, she was also witty and had a lot of clever sayings for almost any situation. “You don’t eat enough to keep a bird alive”.
“The great I am Willy Goo”. “It’s time to put the big pot in the little pot”. “Keep your skirts free of talk”.
“Many hands make light work”. Practical, yet, comical sayings that revealed her sense of humor. Of course, she had to have that sense of humor being married to Von.
Betsy may have been small in stature, but she was a strong fighter for the things she believed in…God, family, education, career, and service. It is an honor to remember her life today. The family would like to recognize and thank the caregivers who so greatly loved and cared for their sweet mother at the end of her life: Ms. Tammy Wilson, Ms. Beth Hosmer, Ms. Katherine Haney, Ms. Nicki Green, Ms. Debra Jones and Ms. Holly Miles.
Included in the family’s appreciation is also Hospice Services of Alabama, a great company, providing most excellent service in medical care. In lieu of flowers, contributions for Bibles can be made to Gideons International in memory of Betsy Bain Stephens. The family will receive friends at Peoples Chapel Funeral Home at 195 Brooklane Drive in Hueytown on Thursday, July 19, from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. The visitation at Rock Creek Church of God, 1001 Park Road, Bessemer, Alabama will be on Friday, July 20, at 10:00 A.M. The funeral will be at 11:00 at the church.
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